2008 Caterham Seven "Supersport"

Raced in 2008/09 as part of the Caterham Academy programme, this delightful Caterham Seven has seen only light road and occasional track day use since. Well fettled over the years and resprayed orange in early 2019, it’s been in the care of the vendor since he bought it from Woodcote Sportscars, the well-known Caterham specialists, in 2016.

Bought with the intention of doing a few sprints and hillclimbs for a bit of fun, he, like so many of us with young families, found that life got in the way so he ended up competing in only a couple of events in the five years he’s owned it.

Nonetheless, he continued to maintain and improve it over the years, including fitting smaller headlamps and a limited-slip differential in addition to having it sprayed orange: “I got tired of polishing the bare metalwork” he jokes.

Still showing only 12,900 miles on the clock, the MOT history shows a gradual accrual of miles over the years, including fewer than two thousand miles in the first three.

Offered with a very sensible reserve, this is your chance to get your hands on a beautifully prepared, dual-role Caterham Seven that looks every bit as good as it drives.

Resprayed orange in February 2019 after spending the previous decade in bare metal, the Seven looks sensational. It’s an iconic shape and given that few are bought by introverts, a bright colour like this suits it perfectly.

The contrasting black front and rear wings match the colour of the rollcage and dark grey alloy wheels, giving a cohesive colour scheme we adore. Of course, given that the MOT record shows it having covered less than a couple of hundred miles since the paintwork was complete, it’s all still in fine shape.

The side-exit exhaust looks utterly terrific, as do the chrome stone protectors on the leading edge of the rear wings. There’s an external cut-off switch mounted on the offside too, and this is protected by a delightful black cover that’s neatly integrated with the windscreen frame. #detailsmatter

The Bilstein coilover suspension, complete with Caterham-branded springs, is in clear view and yet, despite being open to the elements, it’s still rust-free; this is clearly a pampered and much-loved example, with the owners having invested as much time in keeping it looking good as they did ensuring that it continued to perform as it should.

Still unconvinced? Well, take the 13-inch, eight-spoke alloy wheels as further proof. Clean, straight and free of kerbing and other damage, all four are shod with matching Yokohama A539 tyres, all of which have good tread.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

There’s a very good set of wet weather equipment too, but then you’re not going to use that any more than the previous owners have, are you?

Problems are few. There are some scuffs to the rear offside rear wing (#37) and a scratch to the nearside rear (#158) but these would be easily remedied – assuming that this sort of thing bothers you in the first place.

There really isn’t much to say about the interior because there isn’t much in there. Aside from the standard Academy Tillet seats, Luke safety harnesses and the hefty roll cage, there’s a tiny, removeable Momo steering wheel and a beautiful alloy gearknob.

Instrumentation is equally sparse comprising two dials for engine water temperature and oil pressure in addition to the usual fuel/speed/rev gauges. Handles for the electrical cut-off switch too, plus the fire suppression system. The boot-mounted fire extinguisher for the latter has still got its original ‘service by 2009’ label on it, which further supports the vendor’s claims that it hasn’t been raced in anger since then.

There is a pair of rubber mats and some Dynamat underneath but that’s about all there is – and hallelujah for that.

There’s also an immobiliser hidden in the cockpit; we aren’t going to talk about it in detail here but we’ll walk the winning bidder through the process needed to start it. There’s also a battery cut-off switch to stop the battery draining if the Caterham is left standing for more than a few days.

Problems? None – but then there isn’t a lot to go wrong, is there?

The 1.6-litre Ford engine is in fine fettle. Still feeding its power to the rear axle via a five-speed ‘box, an LSD (fitted in May 2019) helps keep it pointed in the right direction – assuming, of course, that the driver wants it to be pointed straight…

It’s also had new front brake discs and pads in addition to new front suspension and steering bits in 2017 as well as a full service that included fresh brake fluid. A new battery was also fitted in July 2019

While it starts well, it does take a couple of minutes to settle into an even tickover but then that’s often the case with race-bred engines. One of our number started his Caterham racing career in one of these seven years ago and after taking it for a test drive reported back that it drives and performs exactly as it should, including the limited-slip diff.

He also pointed out that while many of the Academy cars have had a hard life, this one seems to have escaped the usual racing traumas and hard-driven lifestyle, something the condition of the dashboard, seats and underside all support. As a result, we don’t expect it to undergo the usual heavier-than-usual depreciation ex-race cars tend to suffer.

The engine and underbonnet are all in great shape too, being neat and clean without being obsessively so. The underside is also excellent but you’d guessed that by now, hadn’t you?

The Caterham’s MOT certificate is valid until June 2021. It has a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also still has its original owner’s handbook plus two sets of keys.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

There is no shortage of Caterham Sevens for sale, and many of them have been very nicely spec’d and maintained. But, there’s only one original dual-role model and this is it; after all, no-one knows what works better than the folk who design and engineer them, do they?

And it’s not as if it’s going to cost you a fortune because our guide price is only £9,500 to £13,500, which is an absolute bargain considering how much fun you’re going to have in it.

Because this is a car you could drive to any sprint or hillclimbing event, spend the weekend honing your helmsmanship, and then drive it home again with some silverware in the boot.

Or, if you’re more of a polisher than a racer, you could bring it back to mint condition with very little effort, after which you’d own a collector quality example of the definite starter racing car.

They hold their value too, so you could even run one for next-to-nothing if you treat it with a modicum of respect and keep the servicing up to date.

Viewing is always encouraged (within Govt. guidelines of course), and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.